Album Review: Slyder Smith & The Oblivion Kids - "Charm Offensive"

 

With Last Great Dreamers having gone on a temporary hiatus at present, we find ourselves with both of the group's main songwriters - frontman Marc Valentine and guitarist Slyder Smith - putting out solo albums this summer. We've already looked at Marc's effort last month and a fine effort it was too so I was intrigued to hear what Slyder would have come up with.

Charm Offensive, as it turns out, is an agreeably straightforward power pop effort. While the Dogs D'Amour meets Steve Marriott slyness of Calico Lady and I'm Done are reasonable enough, it's track three When The Rain Comes that really sees the band hitting fifth gear before a slow countrified reworking of LGD's Crash Landing In Teenage Heaven shows the group's more methodical side to good effect. The slow building I Don't Want To Run (complete with banjo) has an almost spaghetti western feel to it while Maya has a bit of a Beatlesy/Oasis vibe going on (and I mean that in a good way I promise).

After a run of mid-paced songs, former single Pleasure Victim takes things back up a notch with its Lizzy style riff and frenetic pace and Road Love has an agreeable Slade style glam stomp to it. Hope Without Warning has more of a widescreen epic feel to it and is pleasant enough but it kind of breaks up the momentum a bit and a cover of Limahl's Never Ending Story is fun enough but should probably have been kept for a B-side/bonus track. Thankfully a re-recording of LGD's Oblivion Kids is on hand to right the ship quickly before the closing instrumental No More Mr Bad Guy signs things off in the best Ennio Morricone style.

Although it doesn't quite hit the bullseye every time, Charm Offensive has enough good moments on it to make it a more than worthwhile purchase for Last Great Dreamers devotees and fans of power pop in general. Solid and varied, it's an enjoyable album which'll definitely have you cueing it up for repeated listening. 

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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